[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S4056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2353. Mr. CRUZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. Inhofe to the bill S. 4049, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       Amend section 144 to read as follows:

     SEC. 144. MINIMUM AIR FORCE BOMBER AIRCRAFT LEVEL.

       (a) Minimum.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees recommendations for a 
     minimum number of bomber aircraft, including penetrating 
     bombers in addition to B-52H aircraft, to enable the Air 
     Force to carry out its long-range penetrating strike 
     capability.
       (b) Reports on B-1 Fleet Sustainment.--
       (1) Initial report.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force 
     shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report 
     on the current state of readiness and continued sustainment 
     of the B-1 fleet and any gaps or necessary steps to ensure 
     that the mission capable rate of the B-1 fleet is not less 
     than 70 percent and the structural life of such fleet is 
     sufficient to 2040. The report shall include a cost benefit 
     analysis for bombers versus arsenal planes.
       (2) Quarterly briefing.--If the mission capable rate and 
     structural life levels specified in paragraph (1) have not 
     been met, not later than 60 days after the report is 
     submitted under such paragraph, and not less frequently than 
     quarterly thereafter until such levels have been met, the 
     Secretary of the Air Force shall brief the congressional 
     defense committees on, with respect to the B-1 fleet, the 
     following:
       (A) A description of any structural issues or technical 
     deficiencies.
       (B) A plan for continued structural deficiency data 
     analysis and training.
       (C) A description of projected repair timelines to address 
     issues identified under subparagraph (A).
       (D) A description of future mitigation strategies, 
     including an analysis of the support requirement for each 
     aircraft.
       (E) An aircrew maintainer training plan, including a plan 
     to ensure that the training pipeline remains steady for any 
     degradation period.
       (F) An identification of any deficiencies in equipment or 
     funds required to address issues identified under 
     subparagraph (A).
       (G) A recovery timeline to resolve issues identified under 
     subparagraph (A).
       (c) Limitation.--None of the funds authorized to be 
     appropriated by this Act or any other Act for the Department 
     of Defense may be obligated or expended in support of the Air 
     Force Arsenal Plane program, and the Department may not 
     otherwise implement any such activity, until the report 
     required under subsection (b)(1) is submitted.
                                 ______